Album Review: M(US)IC by Damiera

Damiera is an experimental "Math Rock" band. I first heard a song from this album as I was exploring new music on www.pandora.com (seriously worth going to this website. It generates songs that you may like based on songs and artists that you enter into their genome). I was amazed at the complexity of the music! I bought the album shortly thereafter.

This is the bands debut album released on Equal Vision Records. The album title at first confused me. M(US)IC. But as it turns out, it's one of those word puzzles. I'll let you try to figure it out (I'll put the answer at the end*). If you're not sure what kind of word puzzles I mean, here is an example:

Head
____

Heels

This means: Head over heels.

Now, on to the rock!

First observation: This album is seriously for that kid that understood calculus in 5th grade. It is full of incredibly fast-changing odd time signatures. I feel as though I would need one of those flip around chalk boards and about 3 hours to figure out the equations behind this complex math rock. But those of you still being tutored for Math 101, do not despair! While some songs are nearly incomprehensible in their time changes, some are more straight-forward (Broken Hands). But the beauty of this album is that the intricacy doesn't distract from the quality of the songwriting. Those of you who could care less about what time signature the song is in will not be affected.

And the vocals! If only I could communicate to you the over-arching intensity of these vocals. The first song on the album (Immure) leads in with the vocals before any instruments. It is a good example of the quality you'll be hearing throughout.

Guitar: Often the odd time signatures on the album are accentuated by the harmonized lead guitar parts. This is one of my favorite aspects of the album. The last song (Obsessions) features some amazing guitaring (a lot of hammering ... possibly two-hand tapping).

My favorite songs from the album: Via Invested, Lessons, and M(US)IC.

Listen with eager ears. If you like it, watch for their second album Quiet Mouth Loud Hands coming out this month on Equal Vision Records.

*M(US)IC = Us in music.

"I love music, and I will continue to let go of every excess (money, home, health, etc) in order to find my end in it. I have been extremely fortunate thus far, but I'd rather end with nothing and satisfied than end with everything and not use it."

-Dave Raymond, Damiera